Sauber has unveiled its 2014 challenger, the C33, with the team’s Chief Designer Eric Gandelin saying a key element in the design process has been to build a car that can be adapted throughout the upcoming season.

Revealed in an online launch, the new car, which will once again feature Ferrari power, sports a nosecone solution similar to that seen on the McLaren MP4/29 and in the early images of the new Williams machine. The C33, which will be raced by Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, retains last year’s grey livery .

With teams facing radically altered technical regulations, Gandelin said that development will be a key issue and that the C33 reflects this concern.

“The path we have followed with the design of the Sauber C33-Ferrari allows us maximum flexibility, so that we can react quickly,” he explained. “It is also clear that reliability will be an important factor in the first few races in particular. So this is an area which we have given very high priority.

“The radical changes to the technical regulations for 2014 mean that it’s even harder than usual to make predictions for the new season,” he added. “We know what kind of package we’ve put together here, but it is difficult to foresee what shape our rivals are in. The earliest opportunity to gain an impression of where the teams are in relation to one another will come during testing.”

Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn added that although the team ended 2013 strongly, following a troubled first half of the season, this year’s regulations mean that there is no guarantee of continued success.

“We have put a very challenging year behind us,” said Kaltenborn. “The first half of 2013 in particular was difficult for us, but the second half saw us making significant strides.

“Due to the radical changes in the technical regulations, predictions are simply impossible to make at this stage. Even more so than in previous years, any impression of how the teams stand against each other will only emerge once winter testing has been completed. That is also when we will announce our goals for the 2014 season.”

It will be an interesting battle between the team’s driver pairing, with Sutil swapping seats with Force India-bound Nico Hulkenberg and Gutierrez looking to establish himself after a mixed 2013 saw him take points just once – with an impressive seventh place at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“After six good years in the same team, it was time for me to look for a new challenge,” said Sutil. “I’m determined to have a successful future with the Sauber F1 Team and will do my bit to ensure that. In recent years the team has repeatedly demonstrated its potential, not least in the second half of the last season.”

For 22-year-old Gutierrez, meanwhile, this could be a make-or-break year. He will be expected to match Sutil for the duration of the season, picking up points where he could not last year and assisting his team in what will be a tight battle across the grid. However, the Mexican is confident that he can deliver.

“Last season I had a steep learning curve,” he said. ” I learned a great deal and I feel ready for the next step. The 2014 season will be a huge challenge on the technical front, which makes it all the more important to know the people you work with well. I will do everything I can to improve further and to support the team with all the resources I have.”

54comments

I’ve commented up above the colour scheme. God this car looks dull in that heavy grey overcoat. Can’t they chose a brighter colour? Let’s face it if Sauber end up in midfield mediocrity then its likely the television director will forget Sauber are even racing!

Come on Sauber, chose a livery more daring! There again, they are Swiss, so pragmatism and conservatism is probably the order of the day.

Sauber have always built smart looking cars- but will it be fast enough ?- they certainly dont seem to be on the edge a others. Once Melb comes round all the cars will look different. I suspect noone is going to give away cooling solutions till they go testing at least!.

I also think manufacturer teams that can harness the heat energy better will have the more powerful units- so maybe some are trying to keep as much heat in as possible.

Cant wait to see the Merc something tells me this will be the pick of bunch!

It looks to me that Ferrari engine cars need less air for cooling and intercooling. The side pots inlets of both Ferrari and Sauber are very small compare to the others. Their engine air inlet s are also small. Interesting things maybe are hidden in the Ferrari engine camps. Any news from that front james?

I like Sauber – but I don’t feel optimistic about their prospects. The car looks like last year’s – just modified in front – probably didn’t have the funds to design a new one. They look short on sponsors – where’s Sutil’s sponsors? Russian money? And then the driver line-up which I believe is one of the more mediocre of all the teams. I really hope I’m wrong!

Phew, I thought I was the only person who noticed this, so far everybody is running on about the Force India and Sauber look so good …. and neither have shown head on, which is where everything else is ugly

Personnaly thing there have been uglier cars, you wont care after 2 races, and it’s nice to see differences, differant approaches

Having said that, I’m beginning to think that the anteater-style noses – Williams, Sauber, and possibly FI – are actually going to be the least ugly (or maybe the easiest to get used to, simply because they’ll be the most common). Ferrari’s take is just ludicrous, and while I preferred McLaren’s at first, the more I look at it the less I like it.

A feeling is creeping up on me that the Ferrari powertrain will be the one that is down on power compared to the others. Two things mak me feel that way.

first of all, both Ferrari itself and now Sauber both aim at reliability. I agree that it is very important, but reliability gets you to the finish line, not to the top step of the podium. Both teams seem to preach “to finish first, first you have to finish” and that just sounds like they aren’t going to be the quickest…

secondly, both the Ferrari and the Sauber have a slim read end design and small(er) sidepods. This seems like they’re easier on cooling the powertrain, which could mean that they haven’t taken their design to the limit, or at least as far as the competition. It could mean they have an aerodynamic advantage, but they don’t seem to mention any advantage there… Merely that they have used a conservative (Ferrari) and flexible (Sauber) approach…

The engine regs have been known for over 2 years. 1.6 liters and one turbo charger, 15,000 rpm limit, fuel injection at 500 bar, 100 kilograms max for fuel. The Ferrari unit has spent thousands of hours on the dyno. I doubt that it is lacking for power. The side pods are a better indicator that Ferrari has engineered a better cooling solution for the energy recovery systems thus far than has Mercedes, as we’ve seen from the large side pods on the McLaren and the Williams. I find this very encouraging for Alonso and Raikkonen. McLaren are at the mercy of what Mercedes are doing. Mercedes are building this unit for themselves and McLaren leaving them in a year makes them a lame duck for 2014. They would have been better off getting Honda to commit from the off.

Don’t worry about Ferrari power unit. The cooling limits are marked by ERS batteries, not the engine itself. So, as the batteries specs are the same for everyone, narrow rear and smaller sidepods inatkes can only mean Ferrari have done a nice job with it. Also, it means better airflow to the difuser and less drag. I only see good news ;).

Couldn’t agree more Rich. Grey is dull. Three greyish cars: even suller. I used to like the turquoise and splash of yellow on the Renault driven by Fernando en route to the 2005/2006 WDC. Sad it’s gone.

Sauber are Swiss, so how about red white a white cross in the middle like their national flag. Merc can keep its silver scheme as its the national colour of germany. As for McLaren, what about tangerine? They were founded by a Kiwi after all (orange is the national racing colour of New Zealand), and Bruce and Denny used to race in orange until Bruce sadly died and McLaren later switched to Yardley sponsorship. Wouldn’t it be great to see a red and white Saubs, and an orange Macca…….won’t happen though. Ah well, boring old grey is is then.